Exhibition of Foreign Pictures

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236

COSMOPOLITAN ART JOURNAL.

passing around — we admire and almost
adore the inspiration of the Christiany
martyr's spirit, as he elevates his eyes to
heaven, where, doubtless, the incense from
the altar-stake at which he died with faith,
and hope, and constancy, and courage, was
as acceptable to God as was that of Abel's
offering in the earliest ages of mankind.
The blood of Huss and many other reli-
gious heroes, sealed the reformation of the
fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and puri-
fied the Church by which they were per-
secuted. In the foreground is a sympa-
thizing crowd, who gaze on the fearful
preparations with anxious eyes, and yet
they timidly conceal their emotions, from
a fear alike of the civil and ecclesiastical
authorities who are present, and directing
a scene that is calculated to thrill the soul
of the most hardened and callous. See
the young girl who tearfully contemplates
the tragedy, while she covertly conceals
her rosary behind a jutting rock! Every
lover of the fino arts, of religion and his-
tory, should visit this life-size painting at
the Academy ; remembering, at the same
time, that they are not witnessing a repre-
sentation in the year 1859, but that they
are contemplating a reality, a. d. 1415.
It is, perhaps, the most vivid specimen of
tho imitative arts that has ever been dis-
played in this city. There are six other
paintings of the same school, among which
"A Castle Invaded by the Puritans,"
" The Poacher's Death," and a " Storm at
Sea," are truthful and powerful. Yet
(tho Castle scene excepted) they are all,
notwithstanding their excellence and
beauty, lightly passed over after an exam-
ination of the masterpiece we have faintly
described. The "Martyrdom of John
Huss," by Lcssing, is a scene that will for
years be regarded as impressive, suggest-
ive, and instructive. It is a living, and yet
dying tragedy, never to be erased from the
memory of a boholder. — Philadelphia In-
quirer.

Death of an Artist. — Alfred Cope-
stick, the marine and landscape painter,
mot with an untimely death on the 28th of
August last, while out on his summer
sketching tour. He shot himself by acci-
dent, and died within a few moments of
receiving the charge of shot in his breast.
Mr. Copestick was a young man of rare
promise in his profession, having given
proofs of genius which havo not failed to
attract attention. Ho was but twenty-two
years of age at the time of his decease

Exhibition of foreign pictures.

Influence on Our Taste and Judgment.

HE French and English exhibi-
tion at tho Academy of Design,
in this city, is attracting no little
attention. It embraces many very
fine paintings from eminent hands.
The Bonheurs, Biard, Brion, Cou-
turier, Isabey, Schlessinger, Ary
Scheffer, Muller, Tassaert, Troyon, Fortin,
the brothers Frere, Gerome, Lambinet,
Bida, Knaus, Le Poittevin, &c, &c, repre-
senting the French school; while the British
artists are, the great Sir Edwin Landseer,
Millais, Holman Hunt, J. F. Herring,
Linnell, Poole, Solomon, Stanfield, Wallis,
&c, &c. A collection of the works of such
painters, could not well fail of commanding
attention.

We rejoice at the exhibition of these
works in our midst, for the double reason
that they expand the popular knowledge
of art greatly, and give our own artists
something for study and emulation. A
wonderful progress has the public made,
in the last five years, in its capacity of
judging properly of art ; the exhibition of
the superb foreign pictures here has had
very much to do in the matter. Not the
least good result has been, that our native
artists havo had to study hard and paint
hard, in order to satisfy the demands and
tastes of their patrons : as a matter of
course, American Art has taken marked
strides forward. .

It is a very shallow pretension for an
artist to make (as, we are sorry to say,
some do) that he is unacquainted with
works, whose excellences he is expected
to emulate : an ignorance of these im-
ported masterpieces savors either of stu-
pidity, or of egotism which is contemptible.
The more sensible and most successful of
our artists, however, do watch these new
works, and do study them very closely,
indeed. The Dusseldorf Gallery, with its
magnificent canvases, from the studios of
Lessing, Sohn, Hildebrandt, Hasenclever,
Becker, Steinbruck, Gude, Camphausen,
Schrcedter, Hubner, Leu, Andreas Auch-
cnback, Carl Muller, Kcebler, &c., &c, &c,
has been a perfect mine of wealth, of which
native artists have availed themselves to a
very large extent, and the influence of this
collection is perceptibly traceable in the
taste of the public as well as in the works
of our studios. The introduction into this
country of this celebrated gathering of the

great modern school of Art, was, indeed,
an era in our art-progress. The success
of the enterprise led to the introduction,
from time to time, of other collections,
until now the public seem to demand an
annual catalogue of first-class works from
the Old World, that it may be kept
" posted" in art-progress abroad, and enjoy
the good things at its own door.

The day has gone by, when a poor
painter can become popular in this coun-
try. Years ago, many persons — both male
and female — won commanding positions
in our literature by productions which, it
first brought out at this moment, would
not command a hearing — much less win a
reputation. Why ? Simply because tho
taste and intelligence of the people have
passed their pupilage, and now are too
critical to be misled into applause of me-
diocre efforts. It is just so in art : years
ago men won a reputation and position
who, if painting now, would not be recog-
nized as worthy of any position above that
accorded to the class which paints "cheap
pictures." The army of artists is a host ;
and he who would now excel, and gain
patronage and a name, must be a faithful
and persevering practitioner of his art, a
devoted student, patient in waiting for his
time, and satisfied with the return. No
egotism, no slight of hand, no tinsel in
coloring, no assumption or dogmatism, can
prevail to gain either position or patronage
now, for our people are becoming too well
qualified as judges of art, to be imposed
upon by pretension.

Our advice to those who would follow
art as a profession, is : make the most use
of the treasures of European studios and
galleries, which annually find their way
to this country — study them, and learn in
what their greatness consists. Once gain
this most important knowledge, and you
have both the principles and elements of
true art. A study of years in the studio
and field will, perhaps, be necessary to
give you true power of expression, and
without such study, no knowledge of what
constitutes others' greatness, will avail :
both are necessary, and both are now very
feasible. Nothing stands in the way of
infinite progress ; and we expect to see tho
genius of this country making as grand
strides in art utterance, as in literature and
physical development.

[Want of space excludes a carefully
prepared notice of the Exhibition at tho
Academy. Some pictures there deserve
all attention which can be given to them.]